buddha82

Yep echoing this. Brisbane and now Adelaide seems to have no problems working through our zone. Is the book out on how to do it? Or are we just a bit off in some way? As a side note, and removing my Demon hat, from my spot on level 2 it's fantastic to watch when it works - switch 2-3 times, stretch the zone, burst through with pace. Just sucks that it's against us!

Best game we've played in 18 months I reckon, so while Binman was on the money and deserves credit for sticking fat, I also think it's fair to say this performance was well against our recent form line. That pressure and defensive intensity is the best I've seen it since we finished 2021 with a blaze of glory. Epic to see and we're every chance of going the distance if they can do that every week. Most people have covered off the main topics, but a couple of quick ones to add/throw in the mix: - Having Salem back has proved to be a real difference maker, I hadn't realised how much we'd missed his reading of the play and clean disposal. Adding him, the emergence of McVee (leaving his man to create the turnover just before the Hunter bump was beautiful and the whole team ran to him afterwards), plus getting back to the three talls + Hibbo combination of our premiership defence is critical for our future success. Just don't know how Bowey gets his spot back! - Echo the questions on Brayshaw. He does a lot of good things but also a lot of dumb things. Not sure where he's at currently. - Further to the question above on May's kick-in during the dying moments, do you think our long to the Member's wing kick out is getting too predictable? I thought having Salem kick out led to better opportunities. - JJ was excellent coming on as sub, but how do we squeeze him into our best 22? What do you rate our chances of holding onto him come end of the year? I reckon he's a walk up start to 12-15 AFL teams. Thanks gents!

Would love you guys to have a read of this excellently analyzed article and give us your thoughts. https://www.theroar.com.au/2023/06/02/footy-fix-the-blues-are-rubbish-but-the-dees-were-just-as-bad-and-four-images-perfectly-sum-up-why/

Can anyone direct me to a thread or website that lists all our out of contract players?

Traded Pick 10 and their compo pick for Phil Davis for Pick 2 in the mini draft (Crouch) and Luke Brown from SA.

This thread isn't about the result or how we lost. There's plenty of threads about that already. My point is the article that appeared on the AFL website and Matthew Bate's comments are so misguided it's bordering on concerning. Talk about papering over the cracks.

Anyone else see this? Dead-rubber Dees still delight I know they're hardly going to be negative, but what game were they watching? We were terrible. I'm really starting to agree with Roosy re: the stuff coming out of the club. Or am I jumping at shadows?

Jesus it's bad. The opening dialogue with the father and son is about as cringeworthy as any ad I've ever seen. Poor Jack not given much to work with.

This line doesn't fill me with confidence: Doctors determined the best course of action was not to remove the tumour and to consider other treatment options. Get well Stynesy, you're a champion.

I agree with this. Up until the fallout of the last few weeks I was a believer that he wasn't gone, but why would you possibly stay after all that's gone on with the massive carrot they're dangling in front of him. And for what it's worth, even though we all take these things with a grain of salt, have heard from a friend of a friend who was at the dinner last night that he's gone, confimed by a player (don't want to say which, but suffice it to say it was one of the guys who recently re-signed). Also reckoned that Connolly was gone too. Make of that what you will.

Not as coach. Need someone with fresher ideas. Might be a good football director though. Provided he could work with the new coach, don't really want a repeat of the situation with Blight.

Stef Martin and then daylight in that list. Surprised you didn't include Nicholson in there, especially when you consider where he's come from. Looks like he'll be a quality player.

At the risk of wading into a sh!tfight that I'm not invoved in, I think you need to re-read what you're posting. Essendon v Geelong has a great deal to do with the argument, it's a classic example of another young team being inconsistent - losing to Melbourne one week, then a few weeks later defeating an unbeaten team in Geelong. Could well be described as a yo-yo result in fact, sound familiar? We fairly comfortably beat Richmond, and the team that thumped them was the same team that gave us a belting not four weeks earlier. We beat Richmond by 27 points. Carlton beat us by 47 points. Carlton beat Richmond by 103 points. See a pattern here? Carlton > Melbourne > Richmond. The Bulldogs have now won 4 in a row and a win and a half outside the 8. How exactly did we play them into form? No doubt it was a bad loss but you're clutching at straws to claim they were out of form when they played us. They're just a better side than us. There's also a consistent thread with both the Dogs loss, the Saints loss and North loss - all at Etihad. No idea why but clearly we struggle adjusting our gameplan there. Maybe the players don't like the away changing rooms or the wind blowing off the bay at Docklands messes up their hair? Who knows, but it's definitely a pattern.

I like the suggestion of midfield pushing forward. We have quite a few options coming off the HB line now - Strauss, Nicholson, Tapscott, Blease, Grimes when fit. Davey was useful there when we didn't have other options but I think he's going to be more use on a wing or half forward flank, picking out targets further forward or pushing forward and crumbing to steal goals. With Wonna away we're really lacking in this area as pinpointed further up, so could be a good option.

Petterd got off so he stays in. My changes would be: - Gawn for Jamar (sorry mate, you've been great, but can't play 3 talls) - Morton for Gysberts (someone has to make way for Gys and I'm sick of Morton's continued lack of heart. Tradebait for mine) - Bartram for Tapscott (I know he's good defensively but his diposal is too much of a liability to carry - also King got given a weak so there's really only Nahas to worry about who Bennell can cover) B: Bennell, Frawley, Garland HB: Strauss, Rivers, Nicholson C: Jones, Moloney, Gysberts HF: Sylvia, Watts, Trengove F: Howe, Jurrah, Green Fol: Jamar, McKenzie, Scully I: MacDonald, Petterd, Martin, Tapscott (Sub*) * Tapscott comes in as sub to ease him back into match fitness and can play all over the ground.